“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”
Haile Selassie

Monday, December 30, 2013

Attorney General Zoeller Encroaches on Governor's Power as He Lobbies for More Federal Funding for School Resource Officers

Once again, the Attorney General is encroaching upon the power of the Governor. Governor Mike Pence is the elected representative for the State of Indiana. The Attorney General represents the State of Indiana only in and pertaining to litigation. What right does Attorney General Zoeller have to represent the State of Indiana meeting with Congressman and arguing policy, i.e. for more federal spending for school resource officers?

The irony is that the minute any state official thinks of dipping his or her toe into litigation matters, Attorney General Zoeller is quick to point out that he is the elected attorney for the state and even asserts the baseless position that he also gets to act as the client in such litigation. Yet Zoeller doesn't hesitate to go out of his area and claim to represent the State in pushing certain policies at the state and national level, directly encroaching upon the power of the Governor.

Maybe pushing for more federal money for school resource officers is a good idea, but it is Governor Pence's call, not Attorney General Zoeller's.

5 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Another argument for making the office appointive. It won't make the office "better" (nor "worse") but it will eliminate the dueling politicians mode that seems to regularly arise, whether or not the administration and the AG are from the same party.

Governments work best when all elected and appointed officials strive to implement policies that improve the welfare of our citizens. State and Federal governments have three branches for a reason. In the last two weeks, Governor Pence has indicated his continued support of amending the constitution to make gay marriage illegal and has proposed to cut corporate taxes lower while raising taxes for citizens. Clearly, Governor Pence is more concerned about appeasing his partisan base than governing the state.

As always schools are being less attention then they deserve. And when I say attention I mostly mean financial support of course. It is pretty difficult to become successful with the funding we have today, you know. That is why, you are so right that it is important to give more Federal Funding to School Recourse Officers and maybe then we will get to see some quality improvements. Well, this only if they can manage money correctly which some obviously fail to do. In any case, keep us up to the latest news about School Funding.Chris for Reflective Essays Help Online

I have to disagree with you here about Zoeller having no right to do this. He has a 1st amendment right to petition for a redress of grievance just like any other citizen. Using official resources to do so might be more problematic.

As to the substantive question on funding, we would do well to first establish a consensus on what schools are for before we go further. The 19th century german system we adopted so long ago is outmoded and not serving our kids well in the 21st century.

About Me

I have been an attorney since the Fall of 1987. I have worked in every branch of government, including a stint as a Deputy Attorney General, a clerk for a judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals, and I have worked three sessions at the Indiana State Senate.
During my time as a lawyer, I have worked not only in various government positions, but also in private practice as a trial attorney handing an assortment of mostly civil cases.
I have also been politically active and run this blog in an effort to add my voice to those calling for reform.